The University of the Philippines hosted a testimonial dinner in honor of newly-appointed Department of Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, June 2 at the Executive House, UP Diliman. De Leon, a regular faculty member of the UPD National College of Public Administration and Governance, is the youngest budget secretary in Philippine history at 32.
De Leon delivered his message after hearing testimonials from distinguished speakers. UP President Angelo Jimenez, leading the ceremonial toast, expressed appreciation and support to de Leon, and reminded everyone to be true to the UP ideals of honor, excellence, and service to the nation.
UP Vice President for Planning and Finance Joselito Florendo welcomed the attendees and said that de Leon’s journey from UP to the cabinet is a source of pride and inspiration to the university and its students.
Three witnesses to de Leon’s journey and character delivered their testimonial messages. Ala-Ala Foundation’s Atty. Artemio Tuason Jr. talked about de Leon’s leadership and service at the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and his previous work assignments, exemplifying commitment to the Scout Oath and the university’s values.
UPD School of Urban and Regional Planning Assistant Professor Mark Gamboa lauded de Leon’s qualifications as an administrator and environmental planner, at a time when public institutions are facing significant challenges and heightened expectations. He said de Leon’s competence, diligence, integrity, and humility stand out.
NCPAG Dean Kristoffer Berse shared insights from de Leon’s role as faculty member. He affirmed confidence in de Leon’s leadership and responsiveness in attending to the needs of the people.
In his speech, de Leon said, “I will help in any capacity where I can be of help to this country.” He thanked the university and all the people who supported him in his studies and for the opportunity to do academic work and teach at UP NCPAG. He highlighted that his appointment to the DBM is a form of service and a way of giving back to the country. He said he reminded himself that in DBM, “dapat walang kalihim, dahil walang lihim.” (In DBM, there should be no secretary because there should be no secret.) In Filipino, “kalihim” is secretary and “lihim” is secret.
“When it was officially announced, it was very clear that this is not, and will never be, about me. This is about the struggles of Filipinos every day: the effects of inflation felt by households; the challenges of students and their competitiveness in this fast-paced and technology-driven time,” he said. “My task is to revisit and allow the budget to be really reflective of the aspirations of each Juan and Juana Dela Cruz, and not let it be abused, while keeping the economy afloat.” De Leon expressed gratitude to UP for reaffirming its full support for the reforms that will be pursued at DBM.
De Leon graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from NCPAG in 2014. He was class valedictorian and a recipient of the Gawad Tsanselor para sa Natatanging Mag-aaral. He holds an MA in Urban and Regional Planning from the UPD School of Urban and Regional Planning and a Master of Public Safety Administration from the Philippine Public Safety College. He topped the Environmental Planners licensure examination in 2016.
In 2019, he began teaching at NCPAG as a lecturer. He is also one of its fellows in the Governance Reform, Innovation, and Transformation Research Laboratories, focusing on public sector integrity, local government risk financing, and anti-corruption issues.
View scenes from the testimonial dinner:
